Teaching Inclusive Education through Life Story Inquiry

This practical textbook is designed as core reading for pre-service and in-service teachers and mental health practitioners in upper level Education and Psychology programs. Key concepts addressed in this case study collection include Inclusive Education as an overarching framework through the lens of Critical Disability Studies, Intersectionality and Mental Health. It portrays the first-hand accounts and lived experiences of individuals with disabilities to further understand the impact students’ classroom experiences have beyond their early school years. These accounts along with commentaries from education and health professionals inform evidence-based recommendations for educators and practitioners on prevention and intervention practices for school age children with disabilities. Readers will be prompted to consider their experiences and perspectives through chapter specific discussion-based and reflective questions that are designed to incorporate key concepts addressed throughout the text.

Part I Foundations.- 1. Introduction: The Importance of Life Stories and This Book.- 2. Inclusive Education as a Concept, Construct, and Practice.- 3. Intersectionality, Diversity, Identity, and Disability.- 4. Mental Health, Student Identity, and the Inclusive Classroom.- Part II Life Stories.- 5. PAS Framework for Inclusion to Guide Life Stories.- 6. Annette's Story.- 7. MJ's Story.- 8. Kaitlyn's Story.- 9. Darren's Story.- 10. Jack's Story.- 11. Art's Story.- 12. Wes's Story.- Part III Concluding Thoughts and Implications.- 13. Concluding Thoughts and Implications.

Margo Horne-Shuttleworth is Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Brock University, Canada and has been with the University for over ten years. She has worked to create courses within the University that focus on diversity and inclusion in the classroom and is involved in global research around inclusive education.
 
Monique Somma is Associate Professor at Brock University, Canada in the Department of Educational Studies, with over a decade of experience teaching in both special education and inclusive classes in elementary schools in Ontario. Her current research focusses on teacher, family and student experiences with inclusive education classes in schools in Ontario.
 
Kathy Ann Wlodarczyk is a Registered Psychotherapist who practices in St. Catharines, Ontario and holds an Adjunct Faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, Canada. She is passionate about inclusion and strives to empower others to navigate their own journey.